Patient's question:
A 15-month-old baby's arm was twisted, and the doctor confirmed that the bone was dislocated. After (repositioning), the child still couldn't grasp with their hand or lift their arm. X-rays revealed that the bone was still dislocated. After the doctor performed (repositioning techniques), they said the baby's arm had returned to normal. However, at home, the baby still couldn't grasp or lift their arm and would cry when their arm was touched. Was it because the doctor didn't (fully reposition) or did the baby's arm nerve get injured?Doctor's answer:
Generally, for babies of this size, it's relatively easy to experience a recurring radial head semilunar cartilage injury, which is often caused by the underdevelopment of the baby's small annular ligament. A sign of successful reduction is when the baby can lift their arm and pick up objects. Usually, a doctor can feel when the reduction is successful. If the baby still cries when lifting their arm, it's likely that there's another semilunar cartilage injury, possibly forming a habit. It's recommended that after the doctor performs the manual reduction, the baby's arm should be appropriately immobilized, and the arm should not be pulled or tugged during daily activities.